Warwick man charged in murder of elderly woman

August 3, 2011

By

DONNA KENNY KIRWAN

PAWTUCKET â€” A 51-year-old Warwick man, on probation for two previous criminal convictions, including the 1982 murder of a young Pawtucket woman, has been accused in the November 2010 murder of 83-year-old Pauline Buco, also from Pawtucket.
The suspect, Robert E. Lamoureux Jr., whose last known address was in the Oakland Beach section of Warwick, was arrested July 29 by Pawtucket Police Detectives Donti Rosciti and David Silva. According to Pawtucket Police, the apprehension of Lamoureux capped off an extensive and complex 8-month investigation conducted by Major Crime Unit Detective Sgt. Todd Stonely, along with Detectives Rosciti and Silva.
Lamoureux was arraigned Monday morning in Providence District Court on a charge of first-degree murder related to Buco's death. A short time later, he was presented in Superior Court as a probation violator and was ordered held without bail at the ACI.
Referred to a public defender, Lamoureux was scheduled to next appear in court on Aug. 8 for a determination of attorney and was assigned an Aug. 15 probation violation hearing.
Pauline Buco, a widow who was a retired AT & T telephone operator, was found dead in her bed by family members inside her single-family home at 496 Beverage Hill Avenue on Nov. 27, 2010. An autopsy revealed that Buco had died from injuries that included a combination of blunt force trauma and strangulation, and her death was ruled a homicide.
The murder of the well-liked grandmother and mother of two adult sons, who had lived alone in the tidy, ranch-style house since losing her husband, James, about 12 years earlier, mystified police, family members and friends and sent shivers through the local community. According to previous reports, the door to Buco's house was found unlocked when her body was discovered and nothing appeared to have been stolen, leaving speculation that she had known her attacker.
At the arraignment before Judge Elaine Bucci, Assistant Attorney General Stacey Veroni said that the state has evidence to show that Lamoureux's DNA was considerably linked to Buco's body. She also said that the investigation and witness statements showed the twice-convicted felon was present in Buco's home in the early morning hours and that he had committed the crime.
Lamoureux, a balding, slightly-built man with wire-rimmed glasses, was ordered held without bail and the case was then transferred to Superior Court for the probation violations. A short time later, he was brought to a different courtroom and presented before Magistrate Patrick T. Burke as a probation violator.
Here, Veroni said that Lamoureux had violated the conditions of his probation following convictions for a previous murder and assault with a dangerous weapon charge.
Veroni did not elaborate later about any other details regarding the case, including whether or not Buco had known Lamoureux or the nature of any connection the two might have had. She also said the case is still under investigation.
According to information made available by Amy Kempe, public information officer for Attorney General Peter Kilmartin, Lamoureux pleaded no contest in April of 1986 to second degree murder and possession of a knife in the November 1982 murder of Nancy Garry of Pawtucket.
According to court records, Lamoureux had stabbed Garry to death in her Cherry Street apartment after meeting her in a Central Falls bar. He was sentenced to 45 years with 25 years to serve and 20 years suspended with probation, and was released from the ACI in December 2000.
One year later, in December of 2001, Lamoureux pleaded no contest to a charge of assault with intent to commit a felony that was brought by the Warwick Police Department. This charge stemmed from an incident in which he stabbed a male acquaintance with a knife in an argument over a woman. He was sentenced to 15 years with six and a half years to serve and eight and a half years suspended with probation. He was discharged from the ACI on Oct. 4, 2007.